Results as they come in

The United States has voted in midterm elections that will help define the remaining two years of President Donald Trump’s first term in office.

All 435 seats in the House of Representatives were up for grabs on Tuesday, as well as 35 seats in the Senate, and 39 governorships in 36 states and three US territories.

Trump’s Republican party lost a majority in the House of Representatives but held onto the Senate.

Follow all the major updates:

Wednesday, November 7

Jeff Sessions resigns at Trump’s request

US President Donald Trump forced out Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday, less than 24 hours Republican party lost control of the House of Representatives.

Sessions informed Trump of his resignation in a letter sent to the president earlier in the day. In the letter, which was widely shared by US media, Sessions said he was resigning “at your [Trump’s] request”.

On Twitter, Trump thanked Sessions for his service and wished him well. He said Matthew G Whitaker, Sessions’s chief of staff, would become the acting attorney general until a replacement is announced, which the president said would come at a later date.

Senator Tester re-elected, takes Democrats to 46 seats in the Senate

Tester’s victory gives Democrats 46 seats in the Senate, including two independent members who caucus with Democrats.

Vice President Mike Pence will be Trump’s running mate

Trump was asked by a member of the press if Vice President Mike Pence would be his running mate in the 2020 presidential contest.

Trump asked Pence to stand up and raise his right hand, in an apparent joke, then asked if would join his ticket in 2020.

Pence said he would.

Trump ‘not concerned’ with Mueller investigation

During a question and answer session, Trump was asked whether or not he would end the Mueller investigation into possible collusion between his campaign and Russia.

“I could have ended it anytime I wanted, I didn’t. There was no collusion,” Trump said.

However, the president said the investigation should end as it costs “millions” of taxpayer dollars and is directed by “angry” Democrats.

“It should end, because it’s very bad for our country,” Trump said.

Trump pushes for bipartisanship

“I’d like to see bipartisanship,” Trump said in response to a question from the press, citing healthcare and infrastructure as issues on which Republicans “could” work with Democrats.

The president implored politicians to “put partisanship aside and keep the economic miracle” going, Trump said, referencing a strong economic outlook and the historically low unemployment rate in the US.

“There are a lot of great things we can do together,” Trump said.

Losing Republicans ‘refused’ Trump’s embrace

Trump mocked Republicans who avoided campaigning with him before congressional elections and who were not elected during their races, referencing a list of candidates by name.

“Those are some of the people who decided for their own reason not to embrace – whether it’s me or what we stand for,” Trump told reporters.

“They did very poorly. I’m not sure that I should be happy or sad but I feel just fine about it.”

Republicans ‘defied history’ with Senate gains: Trump

Trump extolled Republican gains in the Senate and minimised losses in the House as victories for his party during a speech on midterm elections.

“As of now, we picked up, it looks like three, could be four, perhaps … two, but we picked up a lot,” Trump commented on Republican gains in the Senate.

Democrats won a majority of seats in the House, but Trump said his party did will considering the “historic number of retirements” Republicans faced.

Trump claimed 43 Republican representatives retired.

Trump threatens Democrats with investigations over ‘leaks’

Democrats are ready to use their majority in the House of Representatives to launch accountability investigations into the conduct of the Trump administration, CNN reported on Wednesday.

Trump responded to reports about possible investigations with a counter-threat.

If the Democrats think they are going to waste Taxpayer Money investigating us at the House level, then we will likewise be forced to consider investigating them for all of the leaks of Classified Information, and much else, at the Senate level. Two can play that game!

Tuesday, November 6

Democrat wins Nevada governor’s post

Sisolak repeatedly campaigned on a pledge to stand up to President Donald Trump, who supported Laxalt.

Sisolak chairs the Clark County Commission, which oversees the Las Vegas Strip and surrounding areas.

He rose to prominence following the 2017 mass shooting on the Strip, starting an online fundraiser that amassed millions of dollars for victims.

Democrat wins Nevada Senate vote

Democratic Representative Jacky Rosen of Nevada was elected to the Senate, ousting Republican incumbent Dean Heller.

Georgia race too close to call

The hotly contested race in Georgia, where Democrat Stacey Abrams was seeking to become the first black woman to be elected governor of a US state, remains too close to call early on Wednesday.

Abrams, 44, was locked in a tight battle with Republican Brian Kemp, the state’s secretary of state. There was a minor party candidate also in the race and, under Georgia law, if no candidate exceeds 50 percent of the vote, the top two finishers advance to a December runoff election.

By 2am EST (07:00 GMT), Kemp held a three-point lead, but Abrams told her supporters that she expected a runoff once all votes were counted.

“I promise you tonight that we are going to make sure every vote is counted,” she said. “We are still on the verge of history, and the best is yet to come.”

She will become the first female governor in state history and will succeed term-limited Governor Dennis Daugaard.

In Idaho, Lieutenant Governor Brad Little defeated former Democratic state lawmaker Paulette Jordon to become the next governor. Little will succeed retiring Governor CL “Butch” Otter, who has been in office since 2007.

Democrat Janet Mills wins Maine governor’s seat

Democrats have regained control of the Maine governor’s office with a victory in an open-seat election by Democratic Attorney General Janet Mills.

Republicans had believed that Oregon provided one of their best chances to flip a Democratic governor’s seat in a year when Democrats generally have been making gains.

Democrats on Tuesday flipped governor’s offices in at least four states – Illinois, Kansas, Michigan and New Mexico.

Republicans entered Election Day holding 33 governor’s offices and two-thirds of the state legislative chambers.

Democrat Laura Kelly wins Kansas governor’s race

Democrat Laura Kelly has defeated a prominent ally of President Donald Trump, Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach, to win the Kansas governor’s race.

Kobach had built a national profile as an advocate of tough immigration policies and strict voter photo ID laws. He served as vice chairman of Trump’s now-defunct commission on voter fraud.

Kelly will be Kansas’ third governor in a year.

Republican Governor Sam Brownback resigned in January to accept a position in Trump’s administration.

He was succeeded by Lieutenant Governor Jeff Colyer, whom Kobach defeated in the Republican gubernatorial primary.

Republicans win Arizona, New Hampshire and Ohio

In Ohio, Republican Attorney General Mike DeWine defeated Democrat Richard Cordray on Tuesday to lead a GOP sweep of nonjudicial statewide offices.

DeWine will succeed term-limited Republican Governor John Kasich. Cordray had been an Obama-era consumer protection chief.

Arizona Governor Doug Ducey defeated Democratic education professor David Garcia to win reelection in a race that focused on border security and education.

New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu won another two-year term by defeating former Democrat state Senator Molly Kelly.

Republican Ron DeSantis wins Florida governor’s seat

Republican Ron DeSantis will be Florida’s next governor, riding President Donald Trump’s support to a victory over Democrat Andrew Gillum.

The 40-year-old former congressman and Navy officer won on Tuesday after Trump went to Florida twice in the final six days of the election to help increase Republican turnout.

Gillum was hoping to become Florida’s first black governor. He conceded late on Tuesday.

DeSantis was considered an underdog until Trump injected himself in the Republican primary, helping DeSantis cruise to victory over better-funded and better-known Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam.

DeSantis stumbled after his nomination, most notably by saying Floridians shouldn’t “monkey this up” be electing Gillum.

Although he took a more moderate turn after the primary, he relied heavily on Trump in the last days of the election.

Democrats win in Minnesota and Hawaii

Democrats held on to governors’ offices in Minnesota and Hawaii.

Minnesota Representative Tim Walz defeated Republican Jeff Johnson on Tuesday to mark the first time since the 1950s that one of Minnesota’s political parties has held on to the office for at least three terms.

He will replace Governor Mark Dayton, who chose not to seek reelection.

In Hawaii, Governor David Ige won reelection by defeating Republican state Representative Andria Tupola. Hawaii is a heavily Democratic state.

Democrats win in Michigan, New Mexico and Illinois

Democrats JB Pritzker in Illinois, Gretchen Whitmer in Michigan and Michelle Lujan Grisham in New Mexico won elections on Tuesday for seats previously held by Republicans.

Democratic gubernatorial candidates also were putting up strong challenges in the previously Republican-held states of Iowa, Kansas, Wisconsin and South Dakota.

Heading into Tuesday’s elections, Republicans controlled 33 governor’s office and two-thirds of all state legislative chambers. That included 25 states where they held a trifecta of power, compared with just eight for Democrats.

Whitmer’s victory breaks that Republican trifecta in Michigan. The Democratic gubernatorial victories in Illinois and New Mexico could give them trifectas there.

Republicans keep Nebraska governor seat

Republican Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts has won re-election to another term by defeating Democratic state Senator Bob Krist.

Ricketts’ victory on Tuesday will extend a 20-year run of Republican governors in the conservative state.

Ricketts has pledged to keep pushing for lower taxes and limits on state spending. He will be paired with a state legislative chamber that is officially nonpartisan but also has a majority of Republicans.

Krist was previously a Republican but changed his affiliation after announcing his run for governor.

‘This is history’

This is History. Watch every second of this.

Rashida Tlaib, the first Palestinian and Muslim American congresswomen, proclaims victory.

Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez elected to New York’s 14th

Progressive Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is the youngest woman ever elected to the US Congress.

Democrat Ilhan Omar wins Minnesota’s fifth

It’s official. Ilhan Omar becomes the (joint) first Muslim congresswoman. The Somali-American fled civil war and arrived in the US at 14.

Amendment 4 in Florida restores voting rights to as many as 1.4 million people

Floridians have voted to allow people with past convictions to vote.

Florida will restore voting rights to as many as 1.4 million residents who have a past felony conviction, after passing a ballot measure that the Brennan Center is proud to have helped draft! More on the impact of this ballot measure: https://t.co/a4EQpQ6Vnppic.twitter.com/mGACR0mNMF

What happens if the Democrats take the House?

The most likely scenario- at the moment- appears to be that the Democrats will take the lower house of Congress, the House of Representatives, while the Republicans hold the Senate.

Larry Beinhart, the author of the critically claimed novel, Wag the Dog, writes on what might happen in the scenario:

“It would make for fabulous drama. More outrageous than House of Cards, not quite as murderous as Game of Thrones. The Democrats will control the house committees, meaning they’ll control investigations and they will have subpoena power.”

#StayInLine trends on Twitter

Over on US Twitter, people are encouraging those who have found themselves in long lines waiting to vote, to not leave.

If someone happens to be in a line just before a polling station closes, they are still eligible to vote.

If they tell you the line will be shorter later,
If they tell you the machines don’t work,
If they try to intimidate you, or
If you’re standing in line when the polls close,
Stay in line and call 866-OUR-VOTE for help. #StayInLine#VoteTodaypic.twitter.com/s3luyFuSf6

O’Rourke himself then retweeted one of the pictures under the caption “Thank you, Beyonce.”

An El Paso congressman, O’Rourke is trying to become the first Democrat to win statewide office in Texas since 1994. He’s drawn the admiration of many celebrities, including Texas country music icon Willie Nelson.

Having an issue at a polling station? This hotline can help.

Volunteers at Election Protection, a voter protection coalition, are fielding calls about issues at polling places.

As polls begin to close in the eastern part of the US, Election Protection encourages individuals to stay in line to ensure they get to vote.

If you are waiting in line to vote because of a broken scanner, malfunctioning machine or other problems, #StayInLine! Call 866-OUR-VOTE to speak to a live trained volunteer who can help answer your questions about voting. #ElectionDay

First polling stations close

ACLU sends letter to South Carolina over ‘inconsistent voting procedures’

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said it sent a letter to South Carolina officials over “inconsistent procedures”.

There were reports earlier in the day that voting machines were changing individuals choices.

Voters were encouraged to double check their ballots before confirming their votes. Officials told local media that machines in at least one county were being recalibrated, which they said often happens on election day. They added, however, there were problems with failures with the machines’ batteries.

The ACLU demanded that all individuals be provided with a paper ballot to vote.

“If you’re in line when polls close, STAY in line,” the rights group said. “It is your right to vote.”

We’ve sent a letter to South Carolina elections officials outlining inconsistent procedures and demanding that everyone be provided a paper ballot to vote. If you’re in line when polls close, STAY in line. It is your right to vote. https://t.co/q8OJqiTMOA

Healthcare and immigration top voters’ minds on election day

According to an AP VoteCast survey, healthcare and immigration were high on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots in the midterms

Department of Homeland Security: No sign of breaches so far

There have so far been no signs of breaches in US election infrastructure during voting in Tuesday’s congressional elections, US Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said.

“At this time, we have no indication of compromise to our nation’s election infrastructure that would prevent voting, change vote counts or distrust the ability to tally votes,” Nielsen told reporters.

James Comey gets the vote out

Former FBI director James Comey posted this picture of himself on Twitter while door knocking to get people out to vote.

Many analysts put Hillary Clinton’s defeat in 2016 down to Comey’s dramatic intervention before that election, announcing in a letter sent to Congress that the former secretary of state was being investigated by the FBI over her emails.

His relationship with Donald Trump soured soon after his election, ironically citing his handling of the Clinton situation.

Who is Stacey Abrams?

Democrat Stacey Abrams could become the US’s first black female governor if she can best her Republican opponent Brian Kemp in a Georgia election marked by voter suppression claims and racist robocalls.

The neck-in-neck race has been one of the most closely watched races this midterm season.

Abrams started her political career at the age of 29 when she was appointed Atlanta’s Deputy City Attorney. In 2007, voters elected her to Georgia’s General Assembly as a Democrat, where she eventually became state House minority leader. As a state legislator, Abrams successfully fought to expand public transportation funding, railed against tax cuts and advocated criminal justice reform.

She also founded the New Georgia Project, an NGO that worked to register voters of colour and advocated voting rights.

For a look at the other candidates looking to make history, have a read of our piece here.

Oprah Winfrey takes part in a town hall meeting with Stacey Abrams (left) in Marietta [File: Christopher Aluka Berry/Reuters]

Voting machines in Atlanta

Some potentially disturbing news coming out of Atlanta. Reports on Twitter say some polling stations are suffering from a shortage of voting machines, while others are reporting technical difficulties.

Atlanta is in Georgia, where the first black female candidate for governor, Stacey Abrams, is standing against Republican Brian Kemp.

The latter has attracted strong criticism for refusing to give up his position as Georgia’s secretary of state, a position which involves overseeing the election.

Kemp has dismissed the charge of a conflict of interest and has instead doubled down on his position by using his office to accuse to Democrats of hacking a state voter registry without presenting evidence.

The Evangelical factor

Despite his many scandals and allegations of sexual harassment, Donald Trump won about 80 percent of the Evangelical Christian vote in 2016.

During the past four decades, the voting bloc has emerged as one of the most important within the US political system.

By appointing Supreme Court judges with conservative views on abortion and moving the US embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, Trump has gone further to satisfy the Evangelical bloc than any other president.

My first time voting was quite an experience – at a fire station and in the middle of filling out my ballot, a call came in and the firefighters suited up and left on a truck. Proud immigrant on #ElectionDay. Now go out and VOTE!!! pic.twitter.com/VjOnhCOPYz

What voting means to US Muslims

A recent study found two in five Americans thought Islam was incompatible with US values. For many Muslims, elections are an opportunity to help elect candidates they think will tackle hateful rhetoric and policies that they believe unfairly target them.

A family friend, an older Muslim woman, is calling all of her friends and driving them to the polls to vote. So far, she’s taken 15 people to vote. And its not even noon.

She came to the US as a refugee from Iraq in 2002. She’s as American as anybody else.#GoVote

Barack Obama urges Americans to vote

Not as exciting as Hillary Clinton’s call to arms but the former president has called on his fellow citizens to turn up at polling stations.

Today is the day. Today, it’s your turn to raise your voice to change the course of this country for the better. So make it count. Get out there and vote. Go to https://t.co/NKXRGNgbZX or call 833-336-VOTE to confirm where you can vote and check voting hours. pic.twitter.com/6xdMbKhwkr

Lines form as Americans pour out to vote

Reports of queues forming on Twitter are no substitute for the official figures that will come out after the election, but anecdotally at least, there seems to be some truth in the idea that many more people are coming out than have in previous years.

It’s raining in a large part of the US East Coast, so these voters seem especially dedicated:

The women looking to make history

These are the women looking to make history tonight, they include Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar, who are expected to become the first Muslim congresswomen, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who’s become the youngest congresswomen in history.

Twitter joins efforts to get vote out

Who benefits from high turnout?

This is what Birmingham University academic Scott Lucas told Al Jazeera:

“Keep an eye on the voter turnout, higher it goes, the more chance of an upset of the polls which will favour the Democrats, especially if it is amongst the youth and women.”

NGOs helped Native Americans in North Dakota get ID

In 2012, Heidi Heitkamp won North Dakota with a majority just shy of 3,000, largely due to the Native American vote.

In the six years since, Republican state legislators have introduced new stricter voter ID rules, which critics say unfairly target the Native American community.

A Supreme Court ruling in October backed the state’s right to require street addresses on IDs instead of post office boxes. Many Native Americans do not live in areas with street addresses, nor can they afford to get new IDs with a street address assigned through the statewide 911 system.

Free programmes have managed to help more than 2,000 voters on four reservations get proper credentials.

#IVoted trends on US Twitter

The hashtag trends every election and it usually includes selfies of voters outside polling stations and people wearing “I voted” stickers.

Here are some of the more interesting tweets this year:

My father instilled in me the importance of my vote from a very young age. I’ve never missed an election. My vote stands for gun reform, climate change, inclusion, the end of white privilege and racism, women’s rights, HUMAN RIGHTS. Forward not backward. It’s our time. #IVotedpic.twitter.com/CfxeCI0heZ

#IVoted I showed up at my polling place super early, hoping to be first in line. Nope! Other great minds had the same plan. It was dark when I went in and light when I came out, 40 minutes later. Hope the nation emerges from darkness into light today…! pic.twitter.com/y3etS0KuCn

Fox presenter slammed for joining Trump rally

Fox News receives a lot of criticism for its pro-Trump slant and on the eve of the election, one of its star hosts drew a lot of controversy after appearing with Trump at a rally in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

The president called Hannity onto the stage, the Fox News presenter obliged and addressing reporters at the back of the rally, mouthed “fake news”.

Residents of more eastern states head to the polls

Residents in parts of Alabama, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina and Tennessee are heading to the polls.

Many polling stations across these states and Washington, DC opened at 7am local time (12GMT).

Polls open in North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia

Polls opened at 6:30am local time (11:30GMT) in North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia.

The Senate race in West Virginia will be one to watch as Democratic incumbent Joe Manchin faces off against Republican Patrick Morrisey. The latest polls give Manchin the edge, but an upset victory could spoil his party’s hopes of taking back the Senate.

Students will ‘walk out to vote’ at 10am

Students from the across the US will walk out of their classrooms on Tuesday at 10am and head to a polling station to cast their vote.

The walkout is organised by the Future Coalition, a national network of youth-led organisations and initiatives, and for many participants, it will be their first time exercising their right to vote.

Some adults speak down to us as if we’re not capable of making our own decisions or talking about the tragedies that affect our world. But tomorrow we prove that we young people will make change happen. pic.twitter.com/Yu7ZWQ9UR7

Polls open in more states

Polls have opened in parts of Connecticut, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, New York, New Jersey, Vermont and Virginia

Facebook blocks 115 accounts before US midterm elections

Facebook announced late on Monday it had blocked 30 Facebook accounts and 85 Instagram accounts for possibly being engaged in “coordinated inauthentic behaviour”.

“Almost all the Facebook Pages associated with these accounts appear to be in the French or Russian languages, while the Instagram accounts seem to have mostly been in English – some were focused on celebrities, others political debate,” Facebook said in a statement.

“Typically, we would be further along with our analysis before announcing anything publicly. But given that we are only one day away from important elections in the US, we wanted to let people know about the action we’ve taken and the facts as we know them today.

“Once we know more – including whether these accounts are linked to the Russia-based Internet Research Agency or other foreign entities – we will update this post.”

The first polls in the US midterm elections have opened in Vermont. Polling stations in the rest of the state and many other states on the East Coast will soon follow between 6am and 7am local time (11-12GMT)

A look at the US Capitol on the morning of the midterm elections

Polls will open across the East Coast in the coming hours. Here’s a look at the US Capitol building early on Tuesday morning.

Trump: In a sense, I’m on the ticket

Trump used his final pitch to ask voters to help preserve “fragile” GOP victories that could be erased by Democratic gains in Congress.

Acknowledging the stakes in the closing days of campaigning, Trump stressed to voters that everything is on the line.

“It’s all fragile. Everything I told you about, it can be undone and changed by the Democrats if they get in,” Trump told supporters. “You see how they’ve behaved. You see what’s happening with them. They’ve really become radicalised.”

Trump spent his final hours on the campaign trail in Ohio, Indiana and Missouri, where his rhetoric on immigration turned harsh and he lobbed attacks at Democrats.

“The contrast in this election could not be more clear. Democrats produce mobs,” Trump said at his final rally in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. “That’s what’s happened. Republicans produce jobs.”

Trump has also sought to distance himself from any potential blame if Republicans lose control of the House, saying, “My primary focus has been on the Senate.”

Whatever the outcome, Trump made clear he knew his political future was on the line.

“In a sense, I am on the ticket,” he told a raucous crowd in Cleveland.

Voting officials under scrutiny amid heavy election turnout

Federal and state officials have been working for nearly two years to shore up the nation’s election infrastructure from cyberattacks by Russians or others seeking to disrupt the voting process.

It turns out that many of the problems are closer to home.

Early voting leading up to Tuesday’s midterm election has revealed a wide variety of concerns with voting and registration systems around the country – from machines that changed voter selections to registration forms tossed out because of clerical errors.

Election officials and voting rights groups fear that voter confidence in the results could be undermined if such problems become even more widespread on Election Day, as millions of Americans head to the polls to decide pivotal races for Congress and governor.

Hannity joins Trump on stage despite claiming he wouldn’t

Fox News Channel insisted Sean Hannity would not be part of President Donald Trump’s last midterm election rally on Monday — but Trump called on Hannity to join him onstage anyway.

Hannity appeared on the podium with the president and delivered brief remarks. Another Fox News personality, Jeanine Pirro, also appeared onstage with the president.

Hannity, cable news’ most popular personality, told the crowd, “By the way, all those people in the back are fake news.”

It was an extraordinary scene after the news network had worked on Monday to establish distance between Hannity and the campaign. Trump’s campaign had billed Hannity as a “special guest” at the rally, but Fox had said that wasn’t so, insisting he was merely broadcasting his show from the arena.

US officials warn Americans of ‘influence efforts’

Americans must be aware of “foreign actors” attempting to influence their choice as they vote in the midterm elections, a joint statement by US security agencies warned.

Naming Russia, China, and Iran, the statement said local officials would be on hand at polling stations to prevent any attempts to sway American voters.

“Our agencies have been working in unprecedented ways to combat influence efforts and to support state and local officials in securing our elections,” it said.

“But Americans should be aware that foreign actors – and Russia in particular – continue to try to influence public sentiment and voter perceptions through actions intended to sow discord.”

The departments said agents do this by spreading false information on candidates and disseminating propaganda on social media.

“The United States will not tolerate foreign interference in our elections from Russia, China, Iran, or other nations,” the statement said.